Machine for enameling small dials



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. F. SHERIDAN. MACHINE FOR ENAMELING SMALL DIALS.

No. 448,734. Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets--Sheet 2. T. F. SHERIDAN. MACHINE FOR ENAMELINGSMALL DIALS.

Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

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4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

T. F. SHERIDAN. MACHINE FOR ENAMBLING SMALL DIALS.

Patented Mar. 24, 1891.

Wan/4 m @ZMM add/4 (No Mpdel.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4,

T. F. SHERIDAN. MACHINE FOR ENAMELING SMALL DIALS.

No 448,734. Patented Mar. 24,1891.

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THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, OF

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR ENAMELINGSMALL DlALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,734, dated March24, 1891.

Applioation filed March 3, 1890. I

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State ofIllinois, haveinventedcertain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticMachines for Enameling Small Dials; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Figure lot the drawings is a representation of the entire machine invertical section on line a: m. Fig. 2 is a plan View of top of themachine. front part of the machine. Fig. 4 is a plan of base, showingrotating mechanism. Figs. 5 and 6 are a front and side viewof thecountershaft for driving the machine.

In the annexed drawings letters of like name and kind refer to likeparts in each of the figures.

The design of my invention is to lessen the time'and expense requiredfor enameling small dials and to improve the quality of the work, whichat present is entirely performed by hand; and to this end said inventionconsists, principally, as an improvement in mechanism for enamelingdials, in the combination of a series of rolls and spatulas, which areadapted by successive action holder or series of holders for adial-copper, mechanism for automatically rotating said holder or holdersfrom roll to roll, and spatulas, substantially as and for the purposehereinafter set forth.

It consists, further, in an organized machine for enameling dials, inwhich are combined the following elements, to wit: aseries of rolls andspatulas havingarotary motion and arranged in circular order, a seriesrolls and spatulas and are arranged at equidistant points around acircle, automatic mechanism for stopping the rolls and spatulas duringthe rotation of the said holders, and automatic mechanism for operatingthe step-by-step rotation of the dial-holders, sub- Serial No. 342,498.(No model.)

stantially as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

In the annexed drawings, A represents the frame or base, having ageneral cylindrical contour and provided interiorly with the bellshapedrecess shown in. Fig.1 for holding I the rotating mechanism. At suitablepoints 1 on top of the base center A are secured the four vertical postsa for holding the roll and spatula mechanism. Each post a is providedwith frame B, in which is fitted a spindle b. ;The said spindles revolvein their several =frames by means of the pulleys b and are j held totheir downward limit by means of the spring b and the cheek-nuts At thelower end of each of the said spindles is fitted a roll or a spatula Z).4

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the F A is a vertical tapered hub projectingup from the base A, upon which is fitted the ta- 1 ble 0, which is heldeasily upon the hub by l means of theannular ringcand screws 0. At:suitable points on the outer circumference of the table 0 are theoutstanding circular lugs I02. Each of these lugs have a cylindricalopen- I in g extending longitudinally through the same, into which arefitted the small end dot the dial-holders D, the same being held firmlyin place by the screw-d, which can be loosened and the said holdersadjusted as to height. The dial-holders D have a cupped recess (1 of asuit-able diameter for the dial and a little deeper than the dial, sothat the enamel will not be entirely thrown out of contact with .therolls or spatulas. to lay and smooth the moistened enamel, a

Extending through the flanged head of the dial-holder D are the threeholes d designed for receiving the dial-feet easily, and thus allowingthe body of the dial to rest fiat on the bottom of the recess d ,holdersD are provided with an axial opening extending through the same, inwhich is fitted Each of the dialloosely a cylindrical pusher E, providedat its upper end with a flanged head 8. This arrangement of parts issuch that a downward pressure of the lever 6' causes its opposite end .6to raise the pusher E and throw the enameled dialout of the holder. Uponreleasing the said. lever, the weight of the pusher carries it back toits normal position, as in Fig. 1.

The table 0 beingrotated until the dialholdersD are in aproper positiondirectly under the rolls and spatnlas, said table is locked in suchposition by means of the pawl F, which is pivoted on the upper flangedtable of the base A and has its toothed end f engaged with one of thenotched indices f of the flange f on the table C. Said pawl is held inengagement with the said notch by means of the flat spring f. The pawl Fis released from engagement with the table 0, and said table is causedto bring the dialholders into their positions under the rolls andspatulasin their regular order by the following means: Fitted on theupper central portion of the base A and concentric with the annulargroove), formed by the base A and the lower flange of the table 0, isthe ring G. (See Figs. 1 and The ring G is provided with projection g,that carries the ratchet-pawl g on its upper side. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)The said pawl is kept with a yielding pressure against the flange f ofthe table C by means of the fiat spring 9 On the opposite side of thecircumference of the said ring is aprojection 9 carrying a pin g On thelower side of the pawl F is pivoted a lever f the arrangement of partsof the ring G and the pawl F being such that by the forward motion ofthe said ring the pin g impinges upon the curved face of the lever fpressing it outward, thereby carrying with it the said pawl out ofengagement with the index-notch f in table 0 just before theratchet-pawl g, moving forward, is carried into engagement with a notchon the same flange, thereby causing the pawl F to be released before thering G has completed its motion in a forward direction, the pin G haspassed by and oi the curved surface of the lever f and the pawl F ispermitted to drop into contact with the flange f WVhen said motion iscompleted, the pawl F drops into the next notch and firmly locks thetable 0 in that position until the next forward motion of the ring G.\Vhen the said ring is moved rearward, the ratchet-pawl rides out of thenotch and does not move the table 0. Continuing its rearward motion, itis necessary it should not disturb the position of the pawl F, thereforethe lever f has a lateral motion on its pivot, and is provided on itslower surface with a curved groove f. The pin g strikes the inner wallof said groove, and, continuing its motion, presses the lever f inwardlyuntil its motion is almost completed, when the said lever is released,and the action of the flat spring f carries it back to its normalposition against the pin f.

The vibratory motion of the ring G is secured by the following means:Secured to the interior lower side of the base A is the frame II, andjournaled in said frame is the shaft h, which at its upper end isprovided with a crank-plate h and between its bearings has secured to itaworm-wheel 71 The crankplate is connected to the ring G by means of arod 72, pivoted at its opposite end to a lever 71, said lever beingconnected by a stud its to ring G, and for better support has a bearingon the bushing a in the center of base A. The collar 0. prevents saidlever from springing down and off said bushing during its vibratorymotion. J ournaled at right angles to the shaft h in the base A by meansof the bushing a is the shaft I, which at its inner end is provided witha worm i, that engages the teeth in the worm-wheel 71,2, and at itsouter end has a flanged pulley t" for the driving-belt F.

The alternate driving of the mechanism for rotating the table 0 anddriving-roll and spatula-spindles is secured by the following means:Pivoted on the hangersJ on the lower side of the bench to which themachine is fastened is the lever K, which at one end it is connectedwith the shipping-rods 7c and k for shifting the belts from the pulleysk and k to k and k by means of the chain M, the vibrating lever m, andspring-levers m and m N is a coiled spring surrounding an internal hubin the spring-levers m and m having one end secured to the hanger andits other fixed to the lever, as shown in Fig. 6. The tension of thesaid spring in the lever m serves to keep the belt normally on pulley kfor driving the rolls and spatula mechanism and a downward movement ofthe lever by means of the chain and levers described causes the belts tobe shifted from pulleys 70 and k to pulleys k and it, thus stopping thespatula-driving counter-shaft and causing the table rotating mechanism 0to operate. The normal position of the lever K is shown in Fig. 1. Therevolution of the disk L brings the pin a into contact with the lever a,thereby causing the said lever n to swing outward on its pivot niand thepin a at the opposite end of the said lever impinges against the curvedface of the lever 07., thereby causing the depression of the lever K atk. This action, as hereinbefore stated, causes the spatula and rollmechanism to cease and operate the table-rotating mechanism. As thelever K is depressed the opposite end is raised, carrying with it theroll 0 out of engagement with the face-cam o. The said cam makes onerevolution, when its recess comes opposite the roller 0 again. Theaction of the coiled spring N in the lever m causes the said roll todrop into the said recess, thereby causing the table-rotating mechanismto cease and again operate the roll and spatula mechanism. WVhen thesaid roll has dropped into the said recess the lever n, through theaction of the spring 10 passes back to its normal position, as in Fig.1, its pin a passing through the curve-slot in lever a said lever nhaving a lateral motion on its pivot 01.

The revolution of the disk L is caused by the following means: Fastenedto the lower flange of the base A is the bracket P, and journaled insaid bracket is the shaft 7, which at one end is provided with the diskL and at its opposite end has the worm-wheel.

p. Journaled at right angles to the shaft 19 by means of the jacket 19is the shaft 19 which near one end is provided with the worm p and atits outer end has the grooved pulley 19 The worm 19 engages with theteeth of worm-wheel p. The pulley p is connected with pulley m oncounter-shaft m by means of a belt 19 The object of the above-describedmechanism is to limit the time of operating the roll and spatulamechanism'necessary to the performing one operation in the enameling ofa dial.

\Vhen the table rotating mechanism is about to operate, it is necessarythat the spatulas and rolls should be raised out of contact with thedials, and it is secured by the following means: Extending upwardthrough bushings in the center of the base A is the vibrating spindle R.Attached to the upper end is the cam r, and secured to the lower end isthe lever 7", said lever being furnished at its opposite free end with aroll r which extends upward, coming into contact with the periphery ofthe crank-plate h, said plate having an irregular periphery, therebyforming also a cam. The lever r is held with a yielding pressure againstthe surface of said cam by means or the fiat spring 77 On the upper endof the frames B are pivoted the levers S, which have their inner endspro vided with a roll 5 and their opposite forked end in contact withthe collar 0, on the spindle b. The cam r is provided with notches inwhich the rolls 3 rest when the said cam is in its normal position, (seeFig. 1;) but when the saidcam is vibrated the rolls 8 are depressed, andthe opposite forked end is correspondingly raised, thereby raising thespindle b by means of the collar a and rolls and spatulas from contactwith the dials, the arrangement of parts, as described, being such thatduring each revolution of the crank-plate h and during the rotation ofthe table 0 the cam r is vibrated, and by the mechanism hereinbeforedescribed the rolls and spatulas are raised from contact with the dials.When said rotation ceases and the dial holders are again brought intotheir proper position under the rolls and spatulas, the cam r is allowedto resume its normal position through the action of the lever r and theflat spring r thereby causing the rolls and spatulas to come again incontact with the next series of dials through the action of the spiralspring b The operation of the machine is as follows:

' Rolls and spatulas are provided for but four of the dial-holders, sothat one holder, preferably the one nearest the operator, is incondition for the ready insertion of a dial-copper or the removal of anenameled dial. In startin g, the main driving mechanism is started andthe table is automatically rotated one step, as hereinbefore described.At the completion of the double motion of the ring G which rotates thetable 0 the rotating mechanism is arrested and the mechanism for drivingthe rolls and spatulas is caused to operate. When they have operatedlong enough for the disk L to complete one revolution, the spatula androll mechanism is arrested and the table rotated one more step, bringingthe aforesaid dial-holders under the next roll or spatula. While theenamel on the first dial is being rolled out and partially smoothed bythe first roll a second copper is placed in the next holder that hasbeen rotated to the front, and when the said table has been rotated sothat the first dial is now under the second roll the second dial isunderthe first roll. Each of the said rolls completes its work, and thefirst dial is now rotated under the third spindle, which carries aspatula which performs its operation, when said dial is now broughtunder the last spindle, which also carries a spatula and completes thesmoothing of the enamel on the dial. The first dial is now rotated tothe front, removed from the holder, and a new dial copper inserted. Bythe mechanism shown and the arrangement of parts While four coppers arebeing acted upon simultaneously by the different rolls and their posts aand be kept out of contact with the dials.

The method of journaling the table 0, its rotating mechanism, andalternating mechanism hereinbefore described and shown are not claimedin this application, but is included in my application filed May 31,1888, Serial No. 275,573, in which the aforesaid mechanism is shown,described and claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and. desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. As an improvement in mechanism for enameling dials, the combinationof a series of rolls and spatulas which are adapted by successive actionto roll and smooth the enamel, a holder or series of holders for dials,and mechanism for rotating said holder or holders from roll to roll andspatula to spatula, substantially as and for the purpose shown anddescribed.

2. As an improvement in mechanism for enameling dials, the combinationof a series of rolls and spatulas and operating mechanism thereof,substantially as described, a series of dial-holders which are adaptedto pre sent a series of dials simultaneously to said rolls and spatulas,and mechanism for moving the series of holders simultaneously 'to bringeach into position under the next roll or spatula of the series,substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

3. As an improvement in mechanism for enameling dials, the combinationof a series of rolls and spatulas and operating mechanism, substantiallyas described, a rotary carspatulas one holder is in front ready for theI riage or table having secured thereon a series of dial-holders, andmechanism alternating in its action with said roll and spatula mechanismto partially rotate said table and bring each holder into position underthe next roll or spatula of the series, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth and described.

at. As an improvement in mechanism for enameling dials, an organizedmachine in which are combined the following elements: one or morespindles, each provided with a roll, one or more spindles, each providedwith a spatula, three or more holders, each adapted to hold adial-blank, mechanism whereby said holders may be successively movedinto position under each roll or spatula, and mechanism whereby saidholders may be securely locked in said position, substantially as andfor the purpose shown and described.

5. As an improvement in dial-enameling machines, a machine in which arecombined several revolving rolls and spatulas arranged around a part ofa circle, an annular table adapted to rotate undersaid rolls andspatulas, dial-holders exceedingin number the said rolls and spatulasand rotating with said table, a reciprocable ring that is journaledunder said table, means whereby said ring automatically unlocks saidtable and rotates it forward one step, means whereby said table isautomatically looked in said position, and mechanism, substantially asdescribed, whereby said rolls and spatulas are operated a limited timeonly when said table is at rest and are automatically stopped and raisedfrom contact with dials during the rotation of said table, substantiallyas and for the purpose shown and described.

6. As an improvement in the enameling of dials, an automaticorganization in which are combined a series of rolls and spatulas thatare adapted by their successive action to roll down and smooth-finishthe moistened enamel on a dial-copper, a series of dial-holders whichexceed said rolls and spatulas in number and secured within a tableadapted to have a step-by-step rotation around its axis, mechanismwhereby said rolls are lowered into contact with the dials when the saidtable is at rest and automatically raised from such contact when saidtable is about to rotate, mechanism whereby the operation of said rollsand spatulas is limited and their revolution stopped, and mechanism,substantially as shown, whereby when said rolls and spatulas are raisedand at rest the table C is being rotated, substantially as and for thepurpose shown and described.

7. The combination of the base A, the vertical studs a, the frames 13,holding the rolls and spatulas Z), with their spindles b, the table C,supported by and capable of being rotated on said base, the holders D,each adapted to hold a dial-copper and rotate with said table, and thering G, fitted around said base and adapted to automatically disengagethe pawl F from said table and rotate said table one step, substantiallyas and for the purpose specified.

8. As a means for holding the dial to be enameled, the combination ofthe holder D, with its cupped recess (1 a little deeper than the dial,the plunger E, with the flanged head 6, and the lever e and 6substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

9. As a means for raising and loweringthe rolls and spatulas, thecombination of the cam-plate h, the levers 1", roll T and flat spring 0,the spindle R, the multiple camplate 4", the levers S, with their rolls3, the spindles b, with their collars a, and springs 5 substantially asand for the purpose shown and described.

10. As a means for limiting the time of operating the roll and spatulaspindles Z), the combination of the disk L, the pin n, the le- Vern',the compound lever K, the chain M, the double lever m, the rod m and thespringlever m, with its shipping-rod 7c, and the counter-shaftm with itstight and loose pulleys, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOS. F. SHERIDAN.

Witnesses:

C. W. BLODGETT, GEORGE A. BATES.

